


Daisies in Spring

by thatgirlyeojoo



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Aji and Bobpul, Angst with a Happy Ending, Divorce, Fate & Destiny, It starts fluffy then it drops to the pits of hell, M/M, Married Couple, Minghao is a painter, Mingyu is a restaurateur, Minor Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Minor Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Seokmin | DK, Soulmates, before it rises from the ashes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26050552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgirlyeojoo/pseuds/thatgirlyeojoo
Summary: Mingyu and Minghao's relationship looked like it was written in the stars─that is, until their relationship started falling apart. Perhaps, the stars that held their fate died in an explosion in space. That all these signs saying they are destined for each other are just a part of one big conspiracy. That they're soulmates, but maybe, they aren't really meant to be.(If Minghao is so adamant at keeping parts of his soul together, why, then, is he tearing Mingyu out of his life?)
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	Daisies in Spring

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this [tweet](https://twitter.com/incseokgyuhao/status/1295324635211300864) by @incseokgyuhao.
> 
> There will surely be inaccuracies regarding divorce processes and whatnot. Apologies in advance; I'm not an expert in legal stuff. And also because this is not a documentary (totally saw that line in a tweet somewhere).

It is curious how Minghao and Mingyu have the exact same pattern of moles on their inner forearms, but they do. And if Minghao curls his left arm around Mingyu's right and clasps their hands together, the dots line up perfectly despite their slight height difference─like pieces of a puzzle slotting right in place. He doesn't believe in things like soulmates, no matter what Seokmin says, but how else would anyone explain something as unusual like this? 

"Five more minutes, Hao."

Minghao giggles. "I haven't even said anything!" he replies, twisting a little in Mingyu's embrace. And that is true: he has been awake for a couple of minutes now, but he hasn't made any effort to wake Mingyu up. He has just been basking in Mingyu's very solid presence all over him, drumming slender fingers over the marks on his forearm to the beat of their entwined hearts. Oh, how Minghao loves this man.

Mingyu tightens his hold on Minghao, refusing to let go and rubbing his cheeks against Minghao's nape. "I know, but I sensed you're going to be waking me up soon."

Minghao glances at the digital clock on their nightstand. "Well, it's already five minutes to eight─no, four─so yes, I'll be waking you up soon."

Mingyu groans.

And Minghao─he just can't stop it─ _giggles_ again. That's like his default reaction when it comes to Mingyu. Many of his old friends used to say he is always wearing his resting-bitch-face on as though it would take _a lot_ to make him laugh. But with Mingyu, he's always giggling at everything his husband does. He's just overflowing with affection for Mingyu (in case he hasn't made it clear yet).

With a sudden jerk of the bed, Mingyu is already on top of Minghao, eyes bleary with sleep and smiling lazily down at him. "Okay, so I have four more minutes to do this?" he asks playfully and, without waiting for Minghao to make sense of what just happened, starts attacking him with light kisses all over the nose and cheeks and forehead and chin and jaws and neck. 

So yeah, you can guess that by now, Minghao is in a fit of even more _giggles_.

He squirms away from Mingyu to check the clock. "Okay, one minute left," he says, before pulling Mingyu by the neck and kissing him full on the lips, morning breath be damned. But just as Minghao starts to slip his fingers up Mingyu's nightshirt, sharp alarms filled the room, making both of them jump.

"Eh, no naughty Minghao for today," Mingyu smirks, hitting his husband's booty just as they scramble off the bed. 

(They continue to goof in the shower together. They barely made it to work on time.)

\---

Seokmin introduced them.

Minghao was then a rising painter and got invited to exhibit his works at Seokmin's gallery. DK Gallery particularly showcases the works of up and coming artists, so Minghao thought it would be a good opportunity to take. He immediately accepted and took the plane to Seoul with his artworks. 

On the opening night of the exhibit, Seokmin walked around the gallery with Minghao, looking at the paintings with glasses of champagne in hand. In front of Minghao's particularly yellow painting of a tall, dark figure standing in the middle of a field of flowers, Seokmin said, "Strangely, this reminds me of something, but I can't quite point out where exactly."

Minghao smiled at the large framed work. "This one's special because I've seen this in a dream."

"Really? That's interesting," Seokmin said with a generous smile. "But I really feel like I've seen this somewhere…"

It was then that a man stepped right next to Seokmin's other side and said in a deep voice, "This is… _wow_."

Minghao looked around at the person who spoke, and the first three adjectives that came to Minghao's mind were exactly _tall, dark, and extremely handsome_. Yeah, so it was cliché, but he's not exactly eloquent except when he's feeling philosophical with his Instagram captions. This man caught him by surprise and effectively robbed him of better words to use.

"Mingyu, my man!" Seokmin yelled, sharing a bro-hug with the newcomer. "Hey, I thought you couldn't come!"

"I wouldn't miss this. I left the restaurant in Seungkwan's care for the meantime," Mingyu said. "He'll drop by tomorrow night."

"That's it!" Seokmin said excitedly. "I've been saying I've seen this view somewhere─it looks exactly like the garden in front of Love & Letter, don't you think so?"

Mingyu examined the painting more closely, eyes narrowed and head tilted as though looking at the artwork from a different perspective. "Yeah! Especially in late summer when the yellow chrysanthemums are in full bloom."

Well, those were _supposed_ to be daisies, Minghao thought, but chrysanthemums would look great too. He glanced at the nameplate stuck to the left of the painting, which clearly indicated it was literally called _Daisies in Spring_ , but he was amenable to changing the name if this man here thought it was a field of chrysanthemums in late summer.

"Right, where's my manner!" Seokmin gasped. "Mingyu, meet Xu Minghao. He's the artist who created this very painting we are admiring right now. Minghao, this is my best, best friend in the world, Kim Mingyu."

They shook hands, and that was when Minghao first noticed the four moles arranged like the Crux constellation on Mingyu's forearm.

"Interesting set of moles there."

Mingyu tilted his forearm to look at the birthmarks, still holding Minghao's hand. Then, he raised his eyes to Minghao and flashed the most beautiful smile known to mankind. The sort of smile that Minghao would want to paint for as long as his hands could hold the brushes steady. "Oh, yeah. It's my favourite thing ever."

It might just be Minghao's favourite now too because he had the exact same pattern on his left arm. Maybe fate is real, after all. 

\---

And that's how they've been together for nine years now. Four years dating, going back and forth to Beijing and Seoul, and five years as a married couple. They now have a daughter, Aji, and son, Bobpul. It's a handful for Minghao to take care of three puppies (Mingyu included), but he's never been more satisfied with his life. 

All this time, Minghao thought he would never fall in love again after that one disastrous break up he doesn't even want to recall. He thought getting into another relationship is a huge waste of time and emotions, that it's better to just grow old alone with his paintings and do voluntary works in his free time. But Kim Mingyu happened, and who would Minghao be to deny the man anything?

And now he's so whipped for his husband. He loves the feeling that they grow together as a couple and as individuals. 

Mingyu runs Love & Letter, an Italian restaurant situated on the outskirts of Seoul, a snowy white building with tall glass windows overlooking a garden of chrysanthemums. _Daisies in Spring_ now hangs at a place of honour in the restaurant, where patrons can marvel at Minghao's brushwork. 

Every weekend, they would tour around the city or the countryside. Aji and Bobpul would be left in the care of their "Uncle" Seokmin while their parents are away (and Seokmin gladly takes them in and babysits them with his partner, Soonyoung). 

Of all the places they've been to, their most favourite would be the Chinatown in Incheon. Minghao, who can only go home to Liaoning twice a year, feels a different sense of belongingness in Chinatown. All the dishes there are similar to the ones he eats back when he was still a child in his parents' house, the ones his Nǎinai used to serve the whole family to feast on. He can converse freely in Mandarin to some of the Chinese living in this side of Incheon, and he has even befriended Junhui, the grandson of the owner of his and Mingyu's favourite authentic Chinese restaurant there.

Mingyu, on the other hand, has always been fascinated with the sights and usually asks Minghao to teach him some Mandarin phrases and proverbs. He likes the cuisine here too, particularly the hotpot. He simply couldn't stop talking about the wonders of this Chinese dish. He's actually thinking of opening a second restaurant specialising in Chinese food. Minghao, of course, is supportive of the idea. "We should have Māmā and Bàba fly into Seoul for the opening," Mingyu has said, and Minghao loved the idea even more. His parents haven't really had the chance to visit for longer than a week because they're also busy running their hardware store in China. 

Minghao has his own gallery now, which hosts art lessons and gives a platform to artists who are migrants or mixed race. One of the artists who often holds exhibits in The8 Gallery is Hansol, a half-American pop artist who eventually started dating Seungkwan─who is Mingyu's cousin and the co-owner of Love & Letter. For someone who never intended to stay in Korea all his life when he first travelled here for work, Minghao became someone deeply rooted here in this country, expanding his network and forming lasting relationships with his new friends.

South Korea is very much Minghao's home now, and his address is specifically in Mingyu's warm and loving embrace.

\---

Somewhere down the road, something went wrong.

"Five more minutes, Hao."

Mingyu tightens his hold around the pillow, trying to use it as a shield from the confronting morning sunlight streaming through very white curtains hanging on the window. He's pretty sure Minghao changed the curtains to white on purpose last week and hid the darker curtains they used to have there. He hates it so much, but they've already fought over it just three days ago, and Mingyu doesn't want to have another shouting match with his husband. 

But Minghao shouts just the same. "You'll be late _again_ ," he yells from the shower. "If you don't manage to prepare on time, I'm telling you I'm taking the car to the gallery without you. Don't come crying at me if you get stuck in traffic on public transport!" He turns on the shower again. 

Mingyu sighs, wiping a bit of drool on the pillowcase. But then he realises this is Minghao's pillow and remembers how Minghao hates it whenever he does this, so he flips the pillow over, hoping to hide the evidence of the small crime he committed. (Minghao will smell it just the same, whine at him, and grumpily change _all_ the sheets before they sleep.)

He drags his body to the other bathroom past the kitchen, scratching at his right forearm absently. He manages to dress up on time, with Minghao rolling his eyes at Mingyu's choice of coat for the day, and they get into the car together, barely speaking.

Where there used to be a happy exchange of anecdotes about their work or dreams or just whatever under the sun during their 45-minute travel to their respective workplaces, now there is painful silence. Mingyu turns the radio on and hikes up the volume to fill the quiet, uncomfortable space between them, but Minghao hates the static sounds blasting from the speakers as the newsreader delivers the morning news and pointedly brings the volume down with a huff. The volume is now so low Mingyu could barely hear it, so he flips the device off altogether and steps on the brakes extra hard at the next opportunity he gets to show his displeasure at his husband's attitude. Minghao glares at him before stepping off the car. No goodbye kiss, no cheerful "See you later!" or "I love you!" None of the old spark they used to have just a year ago.

Every single day like this with Minghao breaks Mingyu's heart. He loves Minghao so much, but it feels like his husband is slipping further and further away from him the more he tries to hold on.

\---

It didn't happen drastically: it was a collection of little things that piled up without Mingyu's awareness.

He didn't notice it early on because he was dismayed that Mèngxiǎng Chéng Zhēn had to close shortly a year after it opened. The hole-in-the-wall style Chinese diner didn't flourish as much as he and Minghao anticipated. And Mingyu was devastated that it failed so spectacularly. Love & Letter had done well for a long time─why couldn't Mèngxiǎng Chéng Zhēn?

He felt extremely embarrassed in front of Mr and Mrs Xu to whom he bragged about the new restaurant. He even had them flown into Incheon just to witness the lavish opening party. He was sorry about the workers he had to lay off because the restaurant didn't profit well enough. He felt guilty to Minghao, most especially, because it was a promise he could not fulfil. 

So maybe it was Mingyu who took the first step and created the distance between them. And then, it grew and grew until Minghao could no longer love him like he did before. 

"Why are you even running here to cry about this in front of us?" Seokmin asks with a light chuckle, throwing Mingyu a can of beer. The condensation dampened Mingyu's hand immediately, but he ignored it; he flipped the tab open and took a swig to drown out his annoyance at Seokmin's jibe. 

Soonyoung cast a nervous glance around Seokmin before Seokmin cleared his throat and asked again, more seriously, "I mean, you should be talking about this to Minghao, right?"

"Yeah," Soonyoung piped up. "Communication is key."

"I don't even know, hyung," Mingyu said, addressing Soonyoung instead of Seokmin because he was still hurt. After a minute, he said with a dry chuckle, "I'll just go. It's already late; I'm sorry for intruding."

"Hey," Seokmin tugged at Mingyu's arm before he could reach the foyer. "I'm sorry. You're not intruding at all; you're always welcome here."

"Sit back down, Gyu," Soonyoung said gently. After Mingyu obeyed, Soonyoung went on, "Seokmin and I are pretty sure Minghao is the one person who could completely understand you. But you have to communicate what's going on inside your head."

"What's stopping you from talking to your husband?" Seokmin added.

Yeah, what was stopping Mingyu from reaching out to Minghao? He couldn't answer. He could no longer understand how his mind worked. He was no longer sure Minghao could still interpret his messy thoughts for him after he created the ugly crack between them. 

\---

First, Minghao started acting as the big spoon because Mingyu always turned away from him the night prior. That was Minghao's way of holding onto Mingyu when he began distancing himself. Mingyu felt like he no longer deserved all the kindness and affection he's receiving from this wonderful man─whose arms hugged him tightly and gave him extra five minutes to sleep even after the alarm sounded─because Mingyu had been nothing but horrible to him.

So Mingyu turned him away even more, telling him to just get up and get ready and stop _fooling_ around in the bed or they'd be late. Playful morning cuddles were halted, breakfast was eaten in dismal silence, and car rides to their workplaces became unbearable.

Minghao would still kiss his cheek and bade him goodbye with a sweet "I love you!" but Mingyu only responded half-heartedly until he no longer responded, and Minghao stopped doing it altogether in the end. 

They started bickering over the smallest of reasons, and the things the other did that used to make their hearts race no longer got them excited. And then, they started their petty attacks and revenge. If an outsider looks into what their relationship had become, they would probably describe it as something like a kids' fight. 

Mingyu had no one to blame but himself. Minghao only acted this way around him as a response to what he'd been receiving. And he'd been receiving all the bad things from Mingyu lately.

"This is making me _really_ sad," Seokmin said, staring up at _Daisies in Spring_ in Mingyu's restaurant. It was a particularly slow Monday night, and Mingyu's doing some of the administrative tasks in one of the tables by the window because it was Seungkwan's day off. "I still remember the night I introduced you two. I stood in the middle, but both of you stole glances at each other. You thought you were being subtle about it," he smirked. "I knew then that you were meant for each other. You even had the same four moles. _Four!_ Like─what in the goddamn soulmate AU was that all about? Soonyoung and I don't even have matching scars anywhere! You two can't just fall apart like this!"

"Seokmin." Mingyu looked at his best friend dead in the eyes. "You're reading too many novels. This is the fucking real life."

Seokmin sighs. "You don't have to be the perfect love birds. I know you love each other. I've seen it. _I've felt it._ This is not fiction, I know, but it doesn't mean you just stop making your relationship work."

\---

That same night, Mingyu comes home and immediately looks for Minghao. Seokmin's words reverberate in his mind while he's on his way here, knocking sense into him. Seokmin was right─they still love each other, and they need to make this work. As the person who caused all this mess, Mingyu has to be the one to reach out again and do whatever it takes to get Minghao back.

He just hopes Minghao would still be there to accept him.

Mingyu finds Minghao in the study, lounging on the divan with his favourite self-help book. An empty glass stained with red wine sits on the coffee table. Aji and Bobpul skip over playfully to welcome him home, but Mingyu could only pat their heads because he has more pressing matters to pursue. 

"Minghao, can we talk?"

Minghao looks up at him with cold eyes. He marks his page carefully, sets the book aside, and slowly gets up to a sitting position. "Great; I've been waiting for you because I also need to tell you something," he replies, not sounding excited at all.

Mingyu sits on the ottoman beside the divan.

"Okay. You go first. What do you need to tell me?" Mingyu says mindlessly, his instinct set on giving Minghao everything he wants this time, including the chance to speak first. 

"Let's file for a divorce."

\---

Maybe, Minghao is right all along: that getting into another relationship is simply a waste of time and emotions. The past decade he spent on loving Mingyu only culminated into this grim scene where he asks to file for a divorce. 

His exterior looks cold and indifferent─as his usual flight response when he feels too heartbroken. He pretends to be detached early on before his emotions could ruin him from the inside out. Truthfully, though, his heart rests somewhere in the vicinity of his throat, perhaps trying to block his airflow and stop him from proceeding with this crazy proposal of a break-up. _Say no more! Please, just shut up! Don't do this!_ Every cell in his body (most especially those making up the organs inside his ribs) is protesting this idea. But his brain insists this is something he should do to put an end to all the pain of being with someone who no longer loves him. 

As for Minghao, he loves Mingyu so, _so_ much. He loves his husband with all his heart and soul that it hurts him so bad to be neglected and cast aside like he's an ugly painting his husband is already tired of looking at. Minghao knew he did everything he could to take care of Mingyu. It's not that he's asking for something in return or some kind of payment to all those years of affection he invested on Mingyu, but if his husband clearly no longer cares for him, what's the point of staying?

It is time for Minghao to go and set Mingyu free. 

"What?" Mingyu whispers, perplexed. Even then, Minghao can hear and feel the pain in his low voice. He blinks to stop the tears from falling. He _has_ to do this. For their own good.

"You heard what I said, Mingyu," Minghao replies, and he hates how his voice wavered. He clears his throat to regulate his tone. "I'm flying back to China in two months' time. Hansol will take over The8 Gallery here in Seoul─we're already working on the terms─and I'll open a branch in Beijing. As for other things, you can have all our conjugal properties─this house, the car, whatever. I don't care. And I'll take Aji with me," he says. Aji favoured Minghao after all; Mingyu couldn't even discipline her. "Let's settle this quickly. Then I'll go home."

Mingyu stares at him, unblinking and mouth hanging open. If it wasn't such a serious discussion, Minghao would've laughed; Mingyu looks so comical right now.

"I'm also moving out of this house tomorrow; I've already got a place to stay in. For tonight, I'll sleep in the guest room," Minghao adds.

Mingyu sputters, gesturing wildly at the puppies chasing each other at the foot of the bookshelf. "You─you can't─" he breathes heavily. "This can't just─no─"

"Isn't this what you want?" Minghao says, trying to be sarcastic and venomous even though he's nothing short of _shattered_ inside. He grabs his book and walks out of the room. The hall is long before him, and maybe he slowed the first steps to wait for arms hugging him back, telling him not to go. But Mingyu never caught up and stopped him from leaving. Minghao can only conclude then that Mingyu is indeed shocked that Minghao brought this up and already laid out plans that no longer involve him, but is ultimately glad that this is finally happening. Minghao quickens his pace.

As soon as he reaches the guest room, he slumps at the foot of the door and sobs his heart out.

\---

Mingyu wakes with a start. The clock reads 7:55 AM.

He hops over Bobpul for now as he makes his way to the guest room, looking for Minghao. He should still be there, and they can still work this out. He won't just leave without saying anything, right? Mingyu finds the door unlocked, so he barges inside─but the bed has already been made and is empty.

"Minghao?"

He runs to the garage and finds their car parked there. 

"Minghao!"

The kitchen is empty and so is the study. The living room is quiet. The bathroom in the master's bedroom is dry, but the one past the kitchen is still damp. Bobpul barks at him for food, and that's the only time Mingyu realises that Aji is also gone. 

Eyes now blurry with tears, Mingyu sinks to the floor and hugs Bobpul, who immediately proceeds to lick his face, trying to comfort him. "Your dad and sister left, Bobpul, what should we do?" he cries, burying his face into Bobpul's fur. The alarm blares, waking the whole house, but Mingyu ignores it. He bangs his head on the wall and pounds on his chest hard, berating himself for not waking earlier, for not stopping Minghao last night, for being unable to speak his mind that _I don't want any of this, I'll fix everything, we can save this relationship!_

Alas, he was stunned into silence by Minghao's suggestion to divorce and all the plans he already prepared to relocate back to China. Even The8 Gallery is going to Hansol. _Then I'll go home_ , Minghao said, but isn't this his home? What other home is he talking about?

  
  
  
  


"At least drink this," Seokmin insists, pushing a glass of water into Mingyu's hand. He arrived with Soonyoung after Mingyu told them about what happened. Mingyu has stopped crying, but he knows he's spacing out. His mind is just a continuous chorus of _Minghao, Minghao, Minghao…_

"We'll take care of Bobpul for now, okay?" Soonyoung says, already carrying the puppy. "And, Mingyu, if he's talking about divorce already," he adds warily, "maybe you should call your lawyer too."

"I'm not divorcing him," Mingyu says weakly. "No, I'm not. We're not divorcing. No."

Soonyoung pats his shoulder sympathetically. "We're so sorry it has come to this. Maybe he believes he's doing this for the best."

\---

"Good morning, I'm Atty Hong Jisoo," the newcomer says graciously, eye-smile and all. "I'm representing Mr Xu Minghao."

"Um, hyung?" Seungkwan calls Mingyu, who has been watching the scene from the counter.

Seungkwan has told him not to go to work, saying the food will taste horrible if he cooks while he's upset. But Mingyu insisted on coming anyway because he'd rather numb his mind with all the administrative work here at Love & Letter than drown in his misery at his now empty home. It's been two days since Minghao left, and he has refused all of Mingyu's calls. The only contact they had was Minghao _emailing_ him, "My lawyer will get in touch soon; all forms of communication will be coursed through him."

Mingyu knows Minghao is still talking personally to Hansol and by extension, to Seungkwan, regarding the transfer of The8 Gallery to Hansol. He persuaded his cousin to tell him Minghao's whereabouts, but the couple refused, saying Minghao made them promise to keep this a secret.

"Sorry, hyung, but Minghao hyung needs his space too. I hope you understand," his _very loyal_ cousin had told him.

Said cousin is now beckoning him to approach because the lawyer Minghao told him about has now descended on Love & Letter. 

"What can I help you with?" Mingyu says brusquely.

"My client has expressed his wishes to retrieve the _Daisies in Spring_ from your possession. I believe this is the piece of artwork being referred to here?" Atty Hong asks, gesturing at the largest and the only painting that occupies the right-hand side wall.

Mingyu briefly wonders how someone can speak like an audiobook of a court decision paper personified.

"Moreover," Atty Hong adds, and Mingyu snorts openly at the unnecessary use of the conjunctive adverb. "My client states that the other smaller pieces, including _The Crux_ , _Rising Sun_ , _Black Blend_ , and _Aji and Bobpul_ , be returned to The8 Gallery."

Mingyu rolls his eyes at the lawyer. "He has already taken Aji, and now, he wants their paintings too?" Mingyu said incredulously.

Atty Hong flashes a diplomatic smile. "The paintings are technically my client's. He has had them installed here because you _were_ his husband─"

"The fuck do you mean I _was_ his husband?" Mingyu snaps. "I am _still_ his husband!"

"─but they are still his property. He would like to have them back," the lawyer continues, ignoring Mingyu's interruption.

Mingyu boils with rage at this lawyer who's only probably doing his job but he'd love to punch anyway. Seungkwan, sensing danger, holds on to his arm with a whispered warning. "Don't, hyung."

Breathing heavily at the still cheerful lawyer, Mingyu asks, "And what if I don't want to give them back? They're in my restaurant; he'd given these paintings to me, so they're all mine."

"My client disagrees. He didn't give these to you; he's only displaying _his_ paintings here. If you wish to keep them, you must pay for them. The _Daisies in Spring_ is ₩8.9 million, and the smaller paintings are ₩800,000 _each_ ," the lawyer says in his annoyingly gentle voice.

"Then he'd better pay for the space he occupied here?" Mingyu challenges. "Since he's just renting _my_ place for _his_ paintings."

"That would not be an issue, Mr Kim. Just name your price, and we'll gladly pay for it," Atty Hong says, and Mingyu seethes with even more rage. "My client is giving you until the end of this week. Here are my contact details," he says, handing Seungkwan his business card when Mingyu simply leered at it. "Thank you so much for your time. I'll go ahead."

Before the lawyer could even exit Love & Letter, Mingyu is already storming to the back office, flipping a chair as he goes. Seungkwan is left to apologise to their shocked customers before following Mingyu.

"He's leaving me with nothing!" Mingyu spits out, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. "He's taking everything, and leaving me with _nothing_!" He hurls the in-tray off the table, sending sheets of paper flying in different directions. 

Seungkwan flinches and slowly picks up the scattered documents as Mingyu cries and slams a hand repeatedly on the desk. "He's my everything, Seungkwan! What should I do without him?"

"I, I'm so sorry, hyung," Seungkwan mumbles. "I didn't know he'll go as far as to charge you millions for the painting he gifted you with…"

"Go on and run over to his side," Mingyu sneers. "He's giving your boyfriend the gallery right? Go on, take everything from me. Report to him exactly how distraught I am right now. Toast to it with glasses of wine," he adds with a mirthless laugh.

Seungkwan is clearly offended but calms himself. "I understand why he's doing this, but I will never celebrate your misery, hyung. You're my cousin and my friend." He sighs. "This shouldn't come from me, but hyung─both of you clearly still love each other. You _have_ to talk to him. Don't let this divorce happen."

\---

Minghao pours more black acrylic over his already dark painting. Grabbing a painting knife, he scatters the fresh liquid over the canvas aggressively before it dries.

"Hyung, you'll end up stabbing a hole right through that," Hansol says quietly. 

Minghao glares at the younger who arrived without so much as a sound despite his usually squeaky shoes. Those same shoes annoy the hell out of Seungkwan, but Hansol keeps wearing them anyway. The younger couple is cute and disgusting, Minghao thinks. They remind him of how he also repeatedly wore the bell hat that Mingyu hates just to see him get so worked up about it. Mingyu tends to be twice as hot when he's irritated. His voice gets raspier the more he argues, and he chases the giggling Minghao all over the house just to pull the stupid hat off his head. They'd end up tangled on the couch, kissing or, sometimes, doing more. Mingyu had threatened many times to burn the bell hat and had all the chances to do it, but he never did because Minghao likes to annoy him with it. 

Minghao resumes his work. He drops a bit of white to create the highlights and grabs a brush to splatter red paint all over. 

Hansol continues to watch him without a word. Aji comes yipping into the studio, and Hansol grabs her. The sight of Aji gives Minghao a sudden idea.

"Hey, Aji," he says, slender fingers toying with the lid of the white milk paint. "Will you hate dad if I make you walk on the canvas with paint on your feet?"

Minghao and Hansol had fun watching the tiny Maltese walk over the canvas, her paw prints creating eerie blotches of red and white on black. Once they're done, Hansol looks at the painting more closely. "Now, _that_ looks like a bloody crime scene," he observes.

Minghao smiles wryly at him. "This _is_ a crime scene."

"Aw. Hyung, I hope you're not… imagining your husband… while painting _that_ …" Hansol says with a grimace.

Minghao drops the used paint knives and brushes into the jar of murky water, swirling them to remove the acrylic still clinging on them. He spends a moment doing this before replying. "I am upset with him, but I'd never think of murdering him," he says with a bitter chuckle. "You know I love him."

"Then, why are you doing this?" Hansol asks. "Why are you divorcing him? Why are you transferring the gallery to my name when you can just stay here in Seoul and continue running it? Continue being Mingyu hyung's husband?"

"We've been through this, Hansol," Minghao says, rubbing a hand down his face and accidentally smudging his cheek with the red paint. "It's because he doesn't love me anymore."

"How sure are you that he doesn't? Have you ever asked him?"

"It's not like this only started three days ago when I left our home; we've been like this for a solid _year_ . I didn't have to ask him; I can _feel_ it," Minghao says forlornly. "All those times I said I love him, and he didn't say it back. He distanced himself even when I did all I could to celebrate his successes and support him through his hardships. Because he─doesn't─love me─anymore."

Hansol frowns. "This is really sad," he says. "You know, Kwan and I really admire you two. We said we'd also be an amazing couple like you and Mingyu hyung."

"Nah. I'm telling you, you and Seungkwan are already gorgeous together. Don't be like us," Minghao says. "Be _better_ than us."

"Then, hyung, you can also still make things better for you and Mingyu hyung."

Minghao blinks at Hansol and says no more, just continues cleaning his art supplies. Soon, Hansol leaves the room with Aji, and Minghao is left to simmer in his thoughts. 

He and Mingyu were perfect. Their meeting was like a fairytale come to life. Hell, they even had the exact same constellation of moles on their arms. He wonders why it turned out this way. Didn't they love each other enough? 

Maybe he went overboard with making Mingyu pay for the _Daisies_ painting (not that he already has─he's still being stubborn with that). He could've just left it and started anew with a fresh canvas, but that piece is a part of Minghao's soul that he needs to take with him to China. 

(If Minghao is so adamant at keeping parts of his soul together, why, then, is he tearing Mingyu out of his life?)

\---

Mingyu arrives at the venue of the settlement conference, five minutes early. He arrived with his lawyer, Yoon Jeonghan, who talks like how a regular person would even when discussing legal terms─thank god. None of those fake smiles and shit.

Speaking of, he sees Minghao is already present and conversing with his robotic lawyer, Atty Hwang or whatever. He still loathes the plastic smile he always has on his face and the way he talks like a walking dissertation paper. 

At the mediator's signal, they all filter inside the conference room, and Minghao sits on the side closest to the door. Mingyu, who expected Minghao to be on the other side of the table, sits beside his husband absentmindedly. Both lawyers look at him weird before he realises, and he catches Minghao's eyes. 

This is their closest contact in more than a week, and Mingyu missed him so much he'd rather stay here.

He stands up anyway and bangs his hip on the edge of the table hard as he goes. Minghao takes a sharp intake of breath and purses his lips. Mingyu knows Minghao is trying to stop himself from laughing out loud at his tiny accident, and for a moment, it feels like they're back to normal, trading secrets and sniggering at jokes only they know about. He smiles to himself at the thought as he settles on the other side of the table with Atty Yoon.

"Okay, what do we have here?" the mediator says genially, smiling at both Mingyu and Minghao and their respective attorneys. She shuffles some of the documents in front of her. "Divorce petition filed by Mr Xu Minghao versus Mr Kim Mingyu. Mr Kim received the petition and responded… not agreeing to the divorce. Mr Xu wishes to negotiate the ownership of a number of properties," she says, skimming through the file. "Alright, Mr Xu, your side first. Atty Hong?"

Atty Hong opens the folder in front of him. "Good morning, Madam Chair, gentlemen," he says, putting on his practised attorney smile yet again. Mingyu wants to reach over the table and punch the man so bad. "The two parties have an almost-equal division of their properties. While their apartment has been paid for by my client, Mr Xu, the appliances and furniture were financed by the respondent. Mr Xu does not wish to contest the fact the house cost more than the items in it and will not claim ownership of the property as he will relocate to China after the divorce has been finalised. Their Audi A4 was paid for equally by the two parties, and my client also doesn't wish to ask the respondent to pay back his contribution to the purchase of the vehicle. Basically, Mr Xu has no qualms about leaving all their conjugal properties to Mr Kim," Atty Hong states.

Mingyu doesn't care about all those things. Minghao could have these properties up for sale and take all the revenue with him to China if he wants to. But it would just be loads better if the properties stay intact and Minghao doesn't leave for China at all.

"Mr Xu solely owned The8 Gallery, his art studio located in Cheolsan, so he had the right to transfer its ownership to his good friend, Mr Chwe Hansol, and this is already being finalised. My client has no claim on Love & Letter, the restaurant co-owned by Mr Kim in Gwangmyeong," Atty Hong continues. "But Mr Xu still has a number of paintings there that he wants to retrieve. Specifically, five paintings worth ₩12.1 million in total. Our side already reached out to Mr Kim to have the paintings returned _or_ paid for, but the respondent is resisting this request. This is what my client wishes to settle, Madam Chair."

This is what Mingyu worries about the most because he's not letting go of _Daisies in Spring_ and his husband. The mediator turns to his side. "Your side's reaction, Atty Yoon?" she smiles.

"Good morning, everyone," Atty Yoon says brightly. "First of all, my client wishes to retain ownership of the paintings. We argue that _Daisies in Spring_ , the largest and most expensive of the five paintings, was given to Mr Kim as a _gift_ on their wedding day. By definition, giving someone a gift or a present means transferring the object's legal ownership to the receiver. In this case, Mr Xu has let go of the legal ownership of the painting when he gifted it to Mr Kim. Said painting wasn't illegally acquired─it was given voluntarily by the other party─nor is it required to be registered in any government office to prove that Mr Kim now owns the painting," Atty Yoon says easily, pulling sheaves of paper from his set of documents. "But this card will prove just that. It indicates here clearly─in Mr Xu's own hand─that the painting is indeed a gift for my client." He hands over the copies of the scanned card to the mediator and Minghao's lawyer. "What right does the petitioner have, then, to claim he is _merely_ displaying his artwork in my client's property and make him _pay_ for it? This is simply unacceptable, Madam Chair, don't you think so?" Atty Yoon says.

The mediator examines the scanned card. "Do you recognise this card, Mr Xu?"

> _Dear Mingyu,_
> 
> _I never believed in fate or soulmates, but perhaps, our meeting was really written in the stars─stars that line up just like the same four moles on our arms and align perfectly when we hold each other's hand._
> 
> _And maybe the stars got frustrated at the fact that I still haven't met you at age 23, so they showed me this dream of a tall man standing in a field of yellow flowers. They pushed me to fly to Seoul and display the piece I painted after taking inspiration from that beautiful dream._
> 
> _In that exhibit, our paths finally crossed._
> 
> _This is my most valuable creation so far, and it is even more significant to me because this is all about you. I'm going to sound cheesy here, but I really consider this artwork as a part of my soul._
> 
> _And now, I am giving this to you as a gift on our wedding day to symbolise that I am also entrusting you with my soul._
> 
> _Dear Mingyu, you are the best thing that ever happened to my life, and I love you so much._
> 
> _Yours most sincerely,_
> 
> _Minghao_

\---

Minghao reluctantly takes the paper Atty Hong handed him from Mingyu's lawyer. This is a scan of the card he gave Mingyu along with _Daisies in Spring_ on their wedding day. He knows all along what is written there, knows every sentence by heart, but he rereads it anyway. He is immediately reminded of all that transpired that day as though they happened yesterday.

A small crowd of their closest friends milled about the venue, and his and Mingyu's families chatted (still awkwardly then) with an interpreter between them while waiting for the ceremony to start. Mrs Kim initiated most of the talk, and Mrs Xu laughed daintily at everything her companion said. Messrs Kim and Xu join into the discussion discreetly while sipping on glasses of champagne. Under a canopy of trees, the setting sun cast a golden glow upon everyone. There was a hush when both grooms walked down the aisle─Mingyu in his blue hanbok and Minghao in his red changshan. Soft music filled the air as the wedding began, and the couple exchanged their vows and I do's.

At the reception, Mingyu handed Minghao a box that quivered. Minghao was scared to open it because he was never good at dealing with jump scares even though he was considerably braver than Mingyu when it came to haunted houses. Mingyu assured him it would be okay, and Minghao trusted that man─already his _husband!_ ─with all his heart. So he took a deep breath and pried the box open, only to be met with a pair of shiny black eyes and a ball of white fur. 

"Oh my god!" Minghao squealed, easing the little Maltese off the box. "She's so lovely!"

"See? I told you it would be okay," Mingyu said. 

"What do you mean 'okay'? This is _great_! I love her already!" Minghao said, voice getting higher the more excited he got. "She's our daughter?" he asked Mingyu, who nodded fondly. "Bàba māmā zhè shì nǐ de sūnnǚ!" he called to the crowd, raising the puppy high in the air, and the Chinese in the crowd laughed heartily. He turned to Mr and Mrs Kim, "Mom and dad, meet your granddaughter!" he told them in Korean. Mingyu's side of the family joined in the laughter.

"Name her," Mingyu urged him and, caught off guard, Minghao blurted out, "Aji!"

"Aji? Why Aji?" Mingyu asked.

"...because she's a puppy? Gangaji? Aji?" Minghao said, suddenly embarrassed about the idea.

Mingyu burst out laughing. "That's witty, Hao. Did you hear that?" he said, addressing the puppy between them. "You're our daughter, Aji!"

Still hugging his daughter, it was Minghao's turn to give Mingyu's gift. The 21x32 inches painting was brought in, wrapped in manila paper. Minghao pulled the slightly bent card from his pocket and handed it to Mingyu, whose mouth hung open. Minghao giggled at the reaction, but he was so nervous.

Mingyu read the card to the crowd, and by the end of the letter, he was already sobbing openly in front of the guests. Minghao translated the letter for his family while Mingyu wet his shoulder with tears, and soon, Minghao also became a crying mess. Everyone cooed at the card's heartwarming content. Mingyu hiccuped as he tore the wrapping paper apart, and inches by inches, _Daisies in Spring_ came into view for everyone to admire.

Minghao hugged Mingyu tightly, teasing him for being such a crybaby while crying himself and whispering how much he loved his husband. Mingyu couldn't even reply properly, consumed by overwhelming happiness to receive the meaningful _Daisies_ painting as a gift. 

Back to the present, nothing changed─he still loves his husband so much. But instead of replying to the mediator's question, Minghao flees the conference room. He runs out to the hallway with tears streaming down his face.

"Minghao!"

Minghao takes a turn but finds himself in a dead-end. Ahead is a chained wooden door, and to his right is a wall lined with announcement boards. The left side is a balcony overlooking the courtyard three floors below. 

"Minghao, please─" Mingyu catches up with him, breathless. Mingyu turns him around and squeezes him in a tight embrace. Minghao melts into the hug, burying his face on Mingyu's chest.

"I can't do this. This is all a mistake; I am so sorry," Minghao sobs, holding on to his husband. If he doesn't, he feels like he'll collapse in a heap on the marble floors. "I shouldn't have done this at all, Mingyu. I still love you. I never stopped loving you even when it hurts."

Through the sobs ripping through his chest, he can feel Mingyu's hiccups as he cries with him. "It was all me, Minghao. It's all my fault," Mingyu says. "I was a disaster, but you're so perfect, and I felt like I didn't deserve you at all, so I distanced myself. That night you asked to divorce, I was really intending to apologise and make up for all my mistakes for the past year. I was lacking─I didn't notice how much I've been hurting you. But I never stopped loving you too, Minghao. I shouldn't have done all those things. I'm so sorry."

Mingyu plants a kiss on his forehead and wipes his tears. "We're not going to separate, yeah?" he asks, and Minghao nods vigorously.

"Never again."

\---

It's five to eight. Mingyu's arm curls around Minghao's shoulder, and like a little habit, Minghao is tracing the moles there yet again while waiting for the alarm. "Yes, five more minutes," Minghao tells Mingyu brightly when he feels his husband stirring.

Mingyu smiles lazily, eyes still closed. "Come here." He pulls Minghao on top of him and holds him there. "Hmm. Can we just stay like this?" he asks, voice heavy with sleep. "I can just cuddle with you all day. It's Sunday."

"We already did that yesterday," Minghao points out but nuzzles Mingyu's neck. "Plus, Seokmin and Soonyoung hyung are already expecting Aji and Bobpul there today. They've already made plans to take them to the park."

"Seriously, they should really get their own children," Mingyu mumbles. "They're freeloading on our Aji and Bobpul!"

Minghao giggles. "Let them be. They love our children," he says.

It's been two months since the messy attempt to divorce. Minghao would have been back in Liaoning this time if they had pushed through with the break up, and just thinking about it makes him shudder now. After the whole drama in that hallway, they returned to the conference hall hand-in-hand, their faces tearstained but happier than when they got there the first time. They explained how the settlement discussion reminded them of why they're important to each other, the card and the painting being the key, and thanked the lawyers who assisted them through the process. As the discussion cooled down to lighter topics, Mingyu mentioned how annoyed he was of Atty Hong's smile and apologised, and Minghao revealed how seeing Atty Yoon with Mingyu that day made him irrationally jealous. They laughed it all off, ending the day in Love & Letter with a nice dinner. Seungkwan had been so confused to see the four of them laughing together but utterly glad that the divorce would no longer push through. 

Minghao and Aji moved back to their home. He also settled the supposed transfer of The8 Gallery to Hansol's name. Hansol wasn't the least bit upset about cancelling the deal─he was so happy to see Mingyu and Minghao together again. He was instead named Minghao's co-owner, just like Mingyu and Seungkwan are co-owners of Love & Letter. While Mr and Mrs Xu were sad that their only son was no longer coming home, they were glad Mingyu and Minghao fixed their issues. They even nagged at Minghao for thinking to divorce Mingyu, who they really love like their own child, regardless of what happened to Mèngxiǎng Chéng Zhēn. "You should never think we'd look down on you just because of that," Mr Xu even said. Mingyu is now drawing plans to take a month-long vacation in China later in the year. 

When the alarm finally goes off, Minghao pulls Mingyu off the bed and drags him to the kitchen first to have their breakfast of kimchi fried rice that Minghao cooked ("You're getting better at making this huh," Mingyu said around a mouthful, to which Minghao replied, "Of course, I'm learning from the master") before showering. They first dropped Aji and Bobpul at Seokmin and Soonyoung's house before driving to Incheon to visit Chinatown yet again. 

They're having a nice, little date today.

They stroll leisurely around the place, enter the museums, look at the murals, and take photos together. Minghao has taught Mingyu how to take pictures in the past, but he recently picked up the hobby of taking videos and editing them into art films that he uploads on his Instagram. They shoot a couple of clips with Minghao as the main character before heading to the Wens' for lunch.

Junhui greets them enthusiastically. "There you are! Finally! I'm so happy to see you!" he practically yells, ushering them in. "Here, I reserved the best spot for you!"

"Hey, join us for lunch too," Minghao says, and Junhui is quick to respond, "Sure!"

While eating, Junhui talked non-stop about every little thing that happened in their restaurant for the past weeks, much to the amusement of Minghao and Mingyu. He said his grandmother has retired, so he and his dad have taken over the shop.

"That's great!" Minghao says. "But also, you can never beat your grandma, I'm sure," he adds in jest. "I hope she's okay?"

"Yes, yes, she's very well. It's just, the heat's starting to get to her, and she's having a hard time breathing in the fumes," Junhui explains. "She'd still stay here with us─because she said she'd miss the place if we ever send her back to Shenzhen. You can go up and greet her later if you want."

"I was going to ask!" Mingyu says. 

"What about you two?" Junhui inquires. "I thought I'd never see you again, pal!" he tells Mingyu. "I was already growing tired of Minghao being such a crybaby!"

The table shakes, and Junhui yelps in pain like Minghao kicked him in the shin. "Shut up!" Minghao reprimands Junhui. Then, addressing Mingyu, he says, "Don't listen to him, babe."

"Oooh, what happened, Junhui?" Mingyu asks pointedly to tease Minghao, whose ears are already reddening.

Junhui laughs openly. "He was all _I love him so much, I miss him, yadda yadda_ , drinking all the baijiu from our stocks. And I was like, _fool, if you love him that much, you shouldn't have asked to divorce_ ," he says, rolling his eyes but smiling fondly after. "Never fight like that again," he adds sternly this time. Junhui, after all, is older than both of them, so he sometimes nags at them like a hyung─or a _gēge_ ─would.

"Aww," Mingyu coos, wrapping an arm around his husband. "I'm so sorry, honey."

The topic of their divorce sounds like an old joke now. They overcome that huge hurdle in their life as a married couple, so now they're just enjoying their renewed affection for each other on their tenth year together.

Minghao huffs. "Well, if _someone_ had been nice to me, I wouldn't have gotten wasted like that," he says, crossing his arms. 

"Sorry, babe," Mingyu says again, smooching Minghao's cheek.

"Ugh, disgusting," Junhui wrinkles his nose. "Next time you come here, you better drag someone for me to meet and date. Does it make sense that I'm already in my 30s and is still single?" he says incredulously. "I need someone to continue the bloodline of the best cooks in all of Chinatown Incheon!"

"Alright, duly noted," Minghao says. "And if you end up being married, we should be given a lifetime supply of free hotpot here."

"Deal!"

After greeting Junhui's grandma─who was very glad to see they've gotten back together─they bade everyone goodbye and hit the road again. 

They make their way to the park where they will meet Soonyoung and Seokmin to get Aji and Bobpul back and hang out together. After that, they will all head to Love & Letter, where Seungkwan will hold his birthday party. The four of them also know Hansol is going to propose tonight, and they're all so excited about it. 

Minghao curls his left arm around Mingyu's right as they walk, and just like the stars that lined up in the sky to bring their paths together, their curious set of moles align in their linked limbs. Mingyu grips Minghao's hand tight, and Minghao reciprocates the move in a silent promise that they'll never let each other go ever again. 

They weren't a believer of destiny, yet meeting each other made them think all these tales of magic are real. But regardless of whether they are soulmates or not, Minghao thinks his life is wonderful because he gets to share it with Mingyu.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I am secretly an attention-seeker and would love to know what you think of this, so please leave me some comments! ;)
> 
> Daisies in Spring-inspired artworks by twt user @AutumnKami [here](https://twitter.com/AutumnKami/status/1341425017968443392?s=19)!
> 
> twt: @shykneeonyou  
> cc: @thatgirlyeojoo


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